By Nina Patel When BOWA Builders, McLean, Va., began working on this master suite remodel, they didn't know they would have to literally reflect their creativity.
The master bath had double sinks with mirrors, but they were 36 inches high. The higher-than-standard vanity was proportional to the high-ceilinged room, but the wife knew using it would not be comfortable for her. The only place to fit a low vanity was on a wall with an existing window, but the group didn't want to close off the opening and sacrifice the natural light.
They crafted this vanity mirror that slides back to reveal a window.
This solution was simple to construct, says BOWA's director of marketing, Stefani Eckenroad. "We built another wall in front of the exterior wall and treated it like a pocket door," she says. Because it's heavier than a door and sits above the floor, BOWA's carpenters had to construct a secure cavity. The hardest part was finishing the unit so the jamb of the window looks normal. "You can see the edge pull, but other than that, the jamb is clean," she says. The mirror sits slightly higher than the jamb, so it doesn't scrape paint as it slides across. Eckenroad estimates the cost at under $1,000, which includes the mirror, the heavy-duty hardware, and the labor to finish and install the unit.
